Beautiful Britthampton (Part III)

 

All photos, Dean Farris, courtesy Julie and Tom Britt, Britt estate, Watermill

Imagine the beauty of gardens that have had over fifty years to mature~ the exquisite grounds of the Thomas Britt estate, on Long Island, are well established, with the patina of age and a mellow glow, as Julie herself said, this place could be anywhere in the world!  Geraniums are a trademark of Tom's garden designs, and his adjoining property has a magnificent reflecting pool, down below the swimming pool.  To see that property, please refer to Veranda magazine~ an homage to certain grand houses and gardens of Europe. 

The overall ambience of the Britt estate gardens is very Russell Page, and I thought of Mrs. Brown's place and also of the Manhasset estate of Bill and Babe Paley.  Looking forward to returning in the Spring, when the allee' of cherry trees blooms in all of it's natural grandeur!  Oh, the pleasure of making some arrangements from those branches for the house!  Divine!  Enjoy!  DF *****

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When Miss Rose Inspired Oscar

The beautiful chinoiserie paper, "Jardinieres and Citrus Trees" by de Gournay of London, was used as end papers for one of my favorite new design books, Rose Cumming Design Inspiration.  Written by Jeffrey Simpson (Rizzoli) - it's a fabulous source for ideas and concepts as well as a most personal story of one iconic decorators life.

The fashion designer Oscar de la Renta (another favorite of mine) used to walk by Miss Roses' shop, and the following story amuses me greatly.  It's from the book, and is the most charming and inspiring tale!

But I must digress, and go back to another favorite of mine, the "Banana Leaves" fabric, which Dessin Fournir is now representing, and which Albert Hadley was using while at McMillen back in the 1950's.  The most interesting story of how this elegant and yet casual fabric was created is also revealed in Mr. Simpson's tome.  Below, my Teddie bear and my grandmothers quilt are resting on a Louis XV style chair, which I had covered in "Banana Leaves", by Rose Cumming.  (Miss Rose)

I think this layered look is fun, and it reminds me of say, Mrs. Henry "sister" Parish crossed with Gloria Vanderbilt... and my "Brandon Beige" by Benjamin Moore walls are the same shade of taupe as the leaves!  Anyway, back to Oscar (with apologies to Miles Redd).  Here is the recanted tale of when Oscar de la Renta was inspired by one of Miss Rose's pieces.  Long, long ago, in old New York.  

Oscar de la Renta remembers that he used to walk home from his work at Elizabeth Arden past Rose's store every night, and that one night he saw this fantastic secretary desk, made of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell, with an inside of marquetry and bone.  He was at a dinner party at Babe Paley's house the following evening, and Babe told him that she had seen the same piece in the store, had fallen in love with it, and inquired as to the price, but it turned out to be too expensive for her.  Oscar then said to himself that if it was too expensive for Babe Paley, it would be too expensive for him, as he was very early in his career at this point.  Two weeks later, however, after seeing the desk every night, he told himself that he was in love with it, and that he had to have it.  He went into the store and spoke to Rose Cumming's sister and asked how much the desk was.  He was told it was $25,000.  He told her that was impossible for him to pay that, asked what her best price was, and if he could pay over time.  He bought the desk for $22,000 and paid it off over three years.  Every month he gave what he could from his paycheck, sometimes more, sometimes less.  He was never harassed no matter how little he gave that month.  The secretary is in Oscar de la Renta's house in the Dominican Republic to this day.

Wow!  I just love this story...

     
 Above, a close up of the iconic Rose Cumming fabric.  It comes in other colorways, and the bright green is very classic, as well as the metallic gold.  There is an original "document" image of this fabric in the Simpson book, in a tomato and chocolate version, very hand blocked- Rose's sister Dorothy hand printed it down in Jamaica originally.  Funny, the first time I bought some, back in 1976, I was with my mother, Dorothy!  (She still has it btw)  So, as you can see, if you don't yet have this terrific book, you might want to get a copy.  Enjoy! Cheers!  DF ***** 

Babe's 17th Century Mirror

Room by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, AD 2005

This mirror, purchased from John Hobbs, once hung in the Parish-Hadley designed Manhasset, Long Island home of Babe and Bill Paley.  I read this with great interest, having always been intrigued by this mirror.  Imagine, over many centuries, the mirror has traveled from Europe to New York, to California! 

From Parish Hadley, Sixty Years of American Design 1995

 Described as being Portugese, and of olive wood, this stunning object showcases the exquisite taste level of the Paleys and their designers...and is a fabulous example of how a good antique can add so much flair and a sense of quality to a room.  Enjoy! DF*****

Babe Paley Smoking

Barbara "Babe" Paley

If one picture is worth a thousand words...what an inspiring image this is-!  Cheers!  DF *****

Horst, Inspirations From The Past



Coco Chanel, Horst

I've long admired the work of the late fashion photographer, Horst, and was recently perusing the book by the same name "Horst" by Valentine Lawford - (Knopf) - and found these iconic images, which I shot with my digital and have posted here-





Baroness de Rothschild, Horst

They're taking on a slightly weird, Warholish look here, since they're pictures of pictures of pictures...but I was also inspired by the chic WordPress blog called Slim Paley...and I once was able to catch a cherished glimpse of Horst himself, lunching alone in a window table of the Isle of Capri restaurant, on Third Avenue, in Manhattan.  I wonder if that place is still there? Anyone?



Maisons-Lafitte, Horst

Look at this amazing garden, near Paris, that he caught with his camera!  I love the peacock perched on top of the classical bust on pedestal.






Baroness and Baron de Rothschild, Horst

Look at the luxurious fur throw on the sofa, above.  I once had a client, who had a fur throw on the back of her library sofa, in Winston-Salem.  That's as chic as it gets!  Pauline de Rothschild was a fashion designer, and a muse of the society decorator, Billy Baldwin.  You can learn more about her in his books- of which there are several.




Babe Paley, Horst

Look at this fabulous portrait of Babe Paley- taken by Horst at her Kiluna Farm, in Manhasset, Long Island.  This one picture is worth a thousand words!




Princess Chavchavadze, Horst

This one, above, is almost too good to be true.  I'll excerpt the text for you to give you an idea of how brilliant Mr. Lawford's writing is- "Princess Elizabeth Chavchavadze, in the drawing room of the Palazzo Polignac overlooking the Grand Canale in Venice, 1947.  Horst: The sofa the princess is sitting on was designed by and belonged to Wagner.  She was a hostess in the days when Venice was still a favorite holiday resort of the fashionable, which it wasn't later.  She was born Elizabeth Ridgeway and was married first to the Count de Breteuil and then to Prince George Chavchavadze, a member of an ancient Georgian family and a talented professional pianist.  The couch was so deep that she couldn't get out of it." !!! Wow !!! I'm speechless.  

Imagine: When Billy Met Babe

Imagine the excitement Billy Baldwin must have experienced, when, his telephone rang, and it was Mrs. Paley calling, asking him to meet her at the chic St. Regis Hotel...according to wikipedia, the Paleys kept this apartment in town, as their weekday retreat, then to Kiluna Farm in Manhasset, and Kiluna North for those de rigeur country living escapes. I've always loved this shot of the sitting room, from the book "The Finest Rooms by America's Great Decorators" - a book which Albert Hadley inspired his good friend Wilbur Pippin to collaborate on with Katherine Tweed- as well as this stunning portrait of Babe standing in the room, which I believe is by Horst. Babe Cushing Mortimer Paley was the most elegant woman of her time, and became an iconic style figure, Vogue editor, and a Capote "swan" - like C.Z. Guest, she too hailed from Boston. I love the caption under this photo in the book; The transformation of a banal hotel sitting room in New York into a personal and domestic room resulted in the Proustian, turn- of- the- century setting shown here- the walls are hung in brown and pink paisley calico. The Bessarabian rug is patterned with Blackamoor heads, and the extraordinary chandelier is Venetian. How exotic! How chic! How stylish! It all exudes the cafe' society belle epoque mystery that the Paleys seemed to aspire to. My late friend and mentor, Tice Alexander, was taken to this room, and he said he never really got over it, as it had been kept intact, as a kind of shrine to the impossibly fab Babe. I don't for a minute doubt it, and for all I know this charming room still exists- (Babe Paley died in 1978) I hope that you enjoy my post, I am certainly not the first or last to include BP in my list of inspiring and enchanting figures from the not so distant past. DF *****